Quantum Trick Enables Unprecedented Microscopic Imaging

Researchers from California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have developed a new technique called quantum microscopy by coincidence (QMC) that uses entangled light particles to double the resolution of light microscopes without increasing the light's energy. The technique involves sending entangled photons down different paths and recombining their waves to examine delicate objects more closely. QMC is particularly well-suited for biomedical imaging, as it can examine tissues and biomolecules to find diseases or study their spread. The researchers used a crystal made from β-barium borate (BBO) to entangle photons and separate them again via a network of mirrors, lenses, and prisms. The entangled dual-action of the photons also means that their wavelengths are halved, which increases the resolution of the light microscope.